Your credit report is one of the most important tools for building and protecting your financial health. Whether you’re applying for a credit card, financing a car, or signing a new apartment lease, you’ll likely encounter the term “credit inquiry.”
Because inquiries appear in multiple sections of your credit report, it’s essential to know what they mean, how they affect you, and why monitoring them with CreditVana can keep your credit health on track.
What Is a Credit Inquiry?
A credit inquiry is a request to review your credit report by a lender, company, or other authorized party. There are two main types:
-
Hard inquiries → usually tied to applications for loans or credit cards.
-
Soft inquiries → linked to account reviews, pre-approvals, or non-lending checks.
Understanding the difference can help you see which inquiries matter for your credit score—and which don’t.
Soft Credit Checks (Soft Inquiries)
Soft inquiries, also called soft pulls, do not impact your credit score. They occur for things like:
-
Promotional inquiries: When a company checks your credit to make you a pre-approved offer (like a credit card or personal loan).
-
Account review inquiries: When an insurer underwrites a policy, an employer runs a background check, a landlord screens tenants, or when you review your own credit report.
👉 Only you see all soft inquiries on your report. Companies may only see industry-specific ones (for example, insurance companies can see other insurance-related soft inquiries).
How long do they stay?
-
Promotional inquiries → 1 year
-
Account review inquiries → 2 years
Soft pulls are nothing to worry about—they don’t signal risk to lenders.
Hard Credit Checks (Hard Inquiries)
Hard inquiries happen when you apply for credit products like:
-
Mortgages
-
Auto loans
-
Credit cards
-
Personal loans
These are sometimes called “regular inquiries.”
Hard inquiries can temporarily lower your credit score, but they are one of the least influential factors in scoring models. Their impact fades over time, and they disappear from your credit report after two years.
💡 Pro Tip: If you’re not sure whether an application will trigger a hard or soft pull, ask the lender before applying.
Do Credit Inquiries Affect Your Credit Score?
-
Soft inquiries: No effect on your credit score.
-
Hard inquiries: May lower your score slightly, but the effect is usually small and temporary.
For example, shopping for a mortgage or auto loan may result in multiple hard pulls—but scoring models like VantageScore® and FICO® group inquiries made within a short period as one, so the impact is minimized.
Does a Credit Freeze Block Inquiries?
Not necessarily. A credit freeze prevents new accounts from being fraudulently opened in your name, but it doesn’t stop:
-
Lenders you already work with from reviewing your account.
-
Insurers from pulling your report for underwriting.
-
Employers or landlords from verifying credit (depending on their process).
If you’re applying for a job or apartment and already have a freeze in place, confirm whether you need to temporarily lift it.
Why Monitoring Inquiries Matters
Keeping track of your inquiries helps you understand your credit history and spot potential fraud. Too many hard inquiries in a short period may signal risk to lenders, while unexpected soft inquiries can tip you off to offers or reviews you didn’t anticipate.
With CreditVana, you can:
-
Access your free credit score and reports from all three bureaus.
-
Monitor inquiries with real-time alerts.
-
Understand how inquiries fit into your broader credit profile.
You can also pull weekly free reports from AnnualCreditReport.com.
Key Takeaways
-
Credit inquiries are simply requests to check your report.
-
Soft inquiries (pre-approvals, account reviews) don’t affect your score.
-
Hard inquiries (loan or credit card applications) may temporarily lower your score but drop off in two years.
-
Monitoring your reports with CreditVana helps you stay proactive about your financial health.
Disclosure
This article is for educational purposes only. CreditVana does not provide financial, legal, or tax advice. Always consult with a professional advisor for guidance tailored to your situation. Trademarks belong to their respective owners, and no endorsement or affiliation is implied.
👉 Stay in control of your credit journey.
Track your free credit scores and inquiries today with CreditVana.
